Medical Hall, Newry

The Newry Ship Canal, in its present form, was opened in April 1850 in an attempt to enable the town to increase its ship-handling capacity. The original ship canal completed in 1769 and entered via the Fortescue Lock was lengthened and deepened as far as Lower Fathom, where a new sea lock the Victoria Lock, was constructed, capable of accommodating vessels up to 205' in length. The harbour area was vastly increased by the building of a huge floating dock, the Albert Basin, the second biggest of its kind in Europe. The “basin” as it was known locally was adjacent to the centre of the town.